Poultry farmers must be vigilent as avian flu hits Europe and Asia

Monday, 28 November 2016 07:40

Poultry farmers are to be on high alert because of the discovery of bird flu in Netherlands. (Image source: Ocdp/Commons)190,000 ducks have been destroyed at six duck farms in the Netherlands as poultry farmers across Asia and Europe are told to be on high alert of bird flu as wild birds migrate

On 26 November, 190,000 ducks were culled on six separate farms in the Netherlands as Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu was discovered. The highly contagious H5N8 strain has also been discovered in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland.

Dutch authorities have not said which strain had be discovered at the farms in Biddinghuizen, 70km east of Amsterdam.

Both the BBC and The Guardian have reported that since 1997, 40mn hens, cows, goats, pigs and sheep have been culled since the initial discovery of the disease in South Korea.

With a history of the virus in both South Korea and Japan, East Asian farmers are on high alert and have been advised to remain vigilant against the disease, especially in high density farms were viral diseases have a much higher risk of spreading through stock.